WISTIA - Shorter Videos Have Better Engagement Rates

For people who are just getting started with video marketing, it’s a natural tendency to want to cram in as much as possible. After all, you’re jumping into this video thing--maybe you’re even spending a lot of money to make a video--so you want to get the most bang for your buck. But what you might not have considered is that shorter videos have better engagement rates.

Shorter videos tend to perform better for a variety of reasons. First of all, when you aim for brevity, you’re forced to be as clear and succinct as possible. You’re compelled to keep a narrow focus and really dig deep on the details about that topic. Last--and this is largely anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt--people feel daunted when they think they’re getting into a long viewing session. Personally, I’ll watch almost anything for 1-2 minutes. But I’m likely to opt out fast if I start a video or recorded webinar and realize it’s an hour long, no matter how interesting the content seems.

So reign in that video enthusiasm and keep things snappy. Better yet, break all those ideas into lots of shorter videos. Not only will your audience be happier, but also, you’ll have more cannon fodder for your future video efforts!

Kristen Craft is Director of Partnerships and Chris Lavigne makes amazing videos at Wistia. You can find additional video tips on their Learning Center blog located here. You can also follow Kristen (@thecrafty) & Chris (@crlvideo) on Twitter.